Senior Coach Dean Cox has been forced to make two injury-related changes to his Sydney Swans side that will travel to face Port Adelaide Saturday night at the Adelaide Oval.

Justin McInerney (hamstring tear) will face an extended period on the sidelines after leaving the field in the opening half of the Swans two-point win over St Kilda last Sunday with the winger set to be out for a period of 8-10 weeks. 

Defender Tom McCartin (concussion) will also not feature in South Australia this weekend as he continues to work through the AFL concussion protocols following his heavy collision with Saints forward Liam Ryan in the third term in the game against the Saints. 

Coming into the squad to replace the two injured Swans are Joel Hamling and Harry Cunningham, who rejoin the senior squad after successful and impactful stints with the VFL side.

Hamling's last appearance in the AFL side was back in Round 6 when the Swans defeated the GIANTS by 41 points. Meanwhile 226-gamer Cunningham has appeared seven times this season, with all seven fixtures resulting in wins for the Swans. 

“They (Hamling and Cunningham) have been unbelievable, you know, as servants of this football club and what they've given the VFL and also the playing group that when they come in, they play their role,” Dean Cox said

“The trust and the confidence that the match committee have for when they're back into the team is at the highest level. We expect them to come and do nothing different this week and perform their role and play accordingly.”

The Swans are hoping to make it three wins in a row for the second time this season after securing a dramatic come-from-behind two-point victory over St Kilda last weekend at the SCG.  Meanwhile Port Adelaide defeated West Coast by 6 points in Perth last week.

Cox is expecting a tight encounter against Port Adelaide on their home deck.

“We've sort of gone through a fair bit of them, just in relation to a lot of their close games and especially at Adelaide Oval.”

“They have beaten Geelong by 30 points, and pushed Hawthorn, and in a Showdown lost by one point. So they're playing some really good footy."

“Their pressure, the way they defend the ground and intercept the ball behind the play, is really important for them. So we've got to nullify that.”

The clash against Port Adelaide will take place from 7:35 pm AEST. Tune into Channel 7, Kayo and Fox Footy from 7:00 pm to catch all the action.